#knightofbhaal

[doomedlamb]

Carmen x Syryth (belongs to the amazing @knightofbhaal)

What's better than one Bhaalspawn?

[thenugking]

6, 10, and 26 for character asks!

-lana/knightofbhaal

(No problem on not listing a character, I just randomise or go with whoever seems most fun if that happens! But these were good Percy questions!)

What is your Tav’s favourite childhood memory?

Visiting the church of Ilmater to get her family food when she was 15. She offered to help out a little in return for food, got told, "wow you're a really kind and thoughtful young lady, ended up in a long conversation with a few of the priests, and decided this was what she wanted to do with her life. I feel like this also lead to her choosing Perseverance as her virtue name.

She also looks back very fondly on childhood birthdays, when the day was focused on her and what she wanted. As an adult, she of course insisted no one needed to make a big deal out of her birthday. So they didn't.

What would your Tav consider to be their greatest skill? Is this accurate?

Answered here for Percy! So doing this for, uhhhh, Lee.

I think their initial answer would probably be a sad and ashamed, "my greatest skill is murder," before realising, "Wait, lockpicking!!!" And they're right about that one. They're really good at lockpicking.

Does your Tav have a treasured item with them? If yes, what is it and why is it special? If no, how do they feel about item sentimentality in general?

She has her amulet of Ilmater which she never takes off all game. Until the epilogue, when she's finally given in and replaced it with a collar Astarion gifted her (the amulet was years old and worn and dirty, and he really couldn't have his favourite pet going round looking like she wasn't cared for!) Obviously it shows off her loyalty to Ilmater, and when she's stressed she finds twisting it round her fingers soothing. And given she didn't really have anything except what she was wearing with her when she got mindflayered, it's her main link to home.

[thenugking]

1, 5, and 8 for the new durge/orin game? 👀

-lana/knightofbhaal

I'm calling this the incest edition, but does your Durge see Orin as family at all? How would they describe their relationship, and how important is being related or not to that? Does it feel taboo to them? Do they/would they care that it did?

They very much see each other as family. Kallian considers all other Bhaalspawn to be her siblings, and they were also closer in age to each other than anyone else they knew growing up, so they treated each other like siblings too (with Kallian also taking on a parental role to Orin, since neither of her actual parents cared enough to look after her). They'd describe themselves as family first and foremost, with an air of, "well we're extremely close siblings so obviously we're Also lovers."

As for the taboo… incest never really felt taboo growing up. Sarevok and Helena both tried to keep their own relationship secret, but Kallian and Orin both noticed, and Kallian's very first memory was watching the two of them sleeping together (during what was actually Orin's conception). Growing up, Kallian at least was of the opinion that fucking your family members was normal, but private—why share that level of intimacy with anyone outside the family anyway? As a teenager, she did slowly realise that this was very much not normal, and that people tended to be horrified at the concept of her sleeping with her much older adult brother. At that point, Kallian doubled down and decided that if "outsiders" didn't get it, there was no point caring about them and she should just focus on her family anyway. After all, how can someone who hasn't grown up with you truly understand you, and why be with someone who isn't good enough to share Bhaal's blood anyway?

So by the time they're adults, yes, Kallian and Orin are both aware that their relationship is taboo, and often squicks people out. Kallian is reticent about being entirely open about it because of that (Orin would love to tell everyone, but usually won't tell without Kallian's permission). Once people do know, however, they both enjoy using their relationship to make Stupid Outsiders deeply uncomfortable.

Bhaalist wedding ceremonies involve the death of both spouses. Would your Durge and Orin ever marry, knowing that? Would your Durge try to find a way around dying?

Orin would love to get married. She's not desperate to die, but even a long engagement would help formalise her relationship and status in the cult, and give her the promise that one day, she and Kallian will ascend to Bhaal's side forever. And that's only if Bhaal wants them to do that, and won't accept them getting married without immediately both dying.

Kallian finds the whole idea concerning. She really doesn't want either herself or Orin to die, and as much as she's usually happy to change the rules (Kallian is Bhaal's Voice on Toril and therefore Bhaal's rules are whatever Kallian says they are) doing it here feels blasphemous in a way she can't quite explain, or even admit to herself. The actual problem is that while she's okay blaspheming against Bhaal, ignoring the rules here would be blasphemy against Orin and their relationship, and Orin's always mattered more to Kallian than Bhaal has. In her heart of hearts, she knows it would be a sham of a ceremony, and despite Orin seeing it as the ultimate devotion, Kallian believes it would sully their bond. But of course, she never finds a way to verbalise why she doesn't want it, and instead keeps brushing off Orin's pleas for a symbol of devotion that shows Kallian really loves her. This is fine, probably.

How did Durge's status as Chosen of Bhaal (and Orin ultimately feeling like she would be a better Chosen) affect their relationship? Did they bring politics and temple business into the bedroom, or keep that separate?

Oh there was zero separation between them being siblings, lovers and cultist & cult leader! The fact that Kallian was essentially Orin's God permeated every part of their relationship and was very much a factor in the bedroom too. Orin might be permitted to be in charge during sex on occasion, but ultimately, Kallian called the shots, considering that to be Bhaal's Chosen's right. And they were just as likely to bring the bedroom into temple business—cultists got used to seeing the two of them having public sex, and Orin would often spend her time knelt at the foot of Kallian's throne, with or without her clothes.

Orin wasn't unhappy with this—for years she genuinely believed that Kallian was inherently greater than her, and worthy of worship. She enjoyed most of the sex and kink, and got a thrill out of Kallian's power over her. But still, years of being in a relationship where your consent ultimately doesn't matter takes its toll (which isn't to say she didn't also do horrible things to Kallian sometimes, when she caught them off guard), along with constantly hearing how much more important Kallian's wishes were than her own.

Kallian took Orin for granted more and more as time went on, becoming more and more entitled, because obviously the Chosen of Bhaal can do whatever they want. Which obviously had such a negative effect on their relationship that Orin eventually stabbed them in the brain about it. Though honestly, despite Orin not really agreeing with Kallian's politics (death as art vs death in droves) she never let her think of herself as being a better Chosen until she accepted that Kallian had to go.